Bridgewater-Raritan righty Abby Herman winds up during Saturday’s game with Montogomery

MONTGOMERY – The Bridgewater-Raritan High School softball team spent much of Saturday’s Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals dodging minefields lain by its defense. But thanks to one big inning and a 1-2 pitching, the only explosion came in the form of a postgame celebration.

Dee Centi’s leadoff homer in the second inning sparked a four-run frame, and junior Abby Herman and sophomore Megan Zinn combined on a five-hitter, and the fifth-seeded Panthers side-stepped five errors and topped No. 4 Montgomery 4-1 to advance to the semifinals.

“When you score that many runs, you can afford to make some mistakes,” said Bridgewater-Raritan coach Sandy Baranowski, whose team will visit top-seeded Watchung Hills in Wednesday’s semifinals. “And we made our share of mistakes.”

“I was a lot more relaxed, knowing I had them (the runs) behind me, which is a really great feeling for a pitcher,” said Herman, who allowed just one hit and one walk in four-plus inning to claim the victory. “We had some errors, but I feel that because we had the four-run lead, we were a lot more relaxed, and when Megan came in, she was also a lot more relaxed.”

After losing to Montgomery 4-2 in a regular-season meeting April 3, the Panthers evened things up with a dominant 11-1 effort Tuesday, though it wasn’t against the Cougars top lineup. And Bridgewater-Raritan was well aware Saturday’s meeting wouldn’t be close to as easy.

But after going down in order in the first inning against Montgomery sophomore pitcher Gillian O’Connor, Bridgewater-Raritan went to work in the second, helped by some poor fielding.

Deanna Centi started the B-R offensive attack with a leadoff homer in the second inning

Centi led off and blasted one over the left-field fence to make it 1-0, before Maria Capetta reached on a two-base error and Tiffani Mazzagatti singled her to third base. Cat DeStefano followed and hit a little nubber out in front of the plate, freezing Capetta in the third-base line. But the Cougars botched the rundown, and Capetta scored to make it 2-0.

Herman then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to plate pinch-runner Katie Winchock, before Sam Mitchell’s fielder’s choice made it 4-0, with the B-R left fielder reaching on the third error of the inning.

And though O’Connor had allowed just one earned run and just two hits, Montgomery coach Heather Pino went to her bullpen, bringing in freshman Kira Ferraiolo, who got a comebacker and a fly out to prevent further damage. Ferraiolo held B-R to just a walk a three hits the rest of the way, but the damage was done, as Herman was cruising for the Panthers, allowing no hits and just one walk through four innings, keeping Montgomery off the board despite a walk and two errors in the third and another in the fourth.

Ally Ellicone led off the fifth for Montgomery, poking a single into center field, prompting Baranowski to bring in Zinn, a strategy she’s often employed in an effort to keep opponents off balance.

“I like the 1-2 punch,” Baranowski said. “We’ve used it a lot this year. It was just a gut feeling. I felt like they were starting to come around on her (Herman) with some hard-hit balls to the left side, so it was a little change of pace.”

“They’ve seen me a couple of times, so the change of pace was good, because me and Megan are completely different (pitchers),” Herman said. “She has different pitches and her strengths are my weaknesses sometimes, so I feel we work really well together and set off the batters (from their rhythm).”

Zinn finished up allowing four hits and one walk, and it wasn’t until the seventh inning that Montgomery finally broke through.

After a pair of groundouts to start the frame, Ellicone blooped a double into center field, before Mackenzie Marro singled her in. Mackenzie Woodard then dropped down a beautiful bunt single with courtesy runner Rachel Jablonowski going on the pitch and making it to third. Woodard then stole second base with Montgomery’s No. 3 hitter, Berna McCormick, at the plate, and the sophomore worked the count full before drawing the walk.

But what ensued can only be described as brain lock, as the runner on third was frozen two-third of the way down the line as McCormick headed to first base with the potential tying run, and the Panthers caught the runner in a rundown with shortstop Sarah Rebetje putting the tag on her after a 2-5-2-6 exchange to end it in bewildering fashion for the Cougars.

“I think you admit that there are times as coach that you are speechless, and this is one of them,” Pino said. “I didn’t have to go over there (to the postgame huddle) and say a word. They knew exactly what they did. It’s hard to stand in front of a group of teenage girls (in that situation) that you’ve finally gotten to believe (in themselves) the way they should believe, and play the way they should play, and go out there with so much heart. It’s not what you want to do.”

About Simeon Pincus

A graduate of Kean University, Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997, including softball at the Courier News since 1999 and girls soccer since 2001. He began covering CN girls basketball in 2013-14

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Mike BeckerMike Becker is a graduate of Rutgers University. He has been working at the Home News Tribune since the spring of 2011. During his time at Rutgers, he covered the school's football, and both the men's and women's basketball teams, for WRSU-FM.E-mail Mike

Simeon PincusA graduate of Kean University, Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997, including softball at the Courier News since 1999 and girls soccer since 2001. He began covering CN girls basketball in 2013-14E-mail Simeon